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Monday, May 20, 2013

There's a literacy gap in the province when it comes to energy and U-N-B Saint John aims to narrow that gap with a new energy course that deals with everything from the fundamentals of energy production to how energy affects the economy and the environmental concerns.

The Director of Saint John College Peter McGill tells CHSJ News you want decisionmakers to have as much understanding of the issue as possible to avoid bad policies from being adopted.

McGill says he's even taking the course himself and feels his understanding of energy is now alot better.

Others taking the course include members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers along with people who work for NB Power, Babcock and Wilcox, J-D Irving and Irving Oil. McGill calls them the heavy hitters in the energy industry.

Fire crews were battling a blaze at 209 St. John Street West for three hours.

Platoon Chief Forrest of the Saint John Fire Department said that on Sunday night, crews responding to the call saw that flames were showing from the back of the one and a half story wooden building. Forrest says the fire was contained to the back and the roof of the house and that there was smoke and water damage, but no one was hurt. They're looking into how the fire started. (Photo by Doug Epton)

The phone has been ringing and e-mails pouring in at the office of one of our conservative members of parliament.

Conservative MP John Williamson, who represents the Southwest part of this province says that constituents have been contacting him after two senators, Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin stepped down, as did prime minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff, Nigel Wright.

Wright did so after it was discovered he gave Duffy $90-thousand-dollars so he could repay improperly claimed housing expenses.Williamson says he believes that a police investigation is warranted.

A fire gutting out a shed and destroying all its contents, including an ATV, in a subdivision of French Village.

Rothesay Regional Police tell us that by the time crews arrived on the scene, the shed was already gone and the flames were moving toward the house. The KV Fire Department tells CHSJ News that they responded to the call late at night and were battling the blaze for several hours before it was put out.

The house did sustain some heat damage but nobody was hurt in the fire. What caused it is being looked into by the fire department.

Just like a seat-belt, a life-jacket doesn't work if you don't wear it.

That advice coming from Cameron Taylor of BOATsmart, who tells CHSJ News that in 89% of boating-related drownings the people could have been saved if they'd been wearing one. However, alcohol is also a factor and a concern with the warm weather. Taylor tells us that alcohol is a factor in 35% of boating deaths.

This this time of year, cold water immersion can happen. That's where your body exhibits a natural reflex to gasp for air when you hit the water. Cameron says if you're not wearing a life-jacket when you're thrown in, you can gasp in water.

The bodies of two fishermen who went missing after their boat capsized off the northeast coast have been recovered.

RCMP Constable Scott Messier says the bodies of a 35-year-old man and a 32-year-old man were found yesterday afternoon. A third man, who was 23-year-old, was found on Saturday, eight hours after the three lobster fishermen sent out a distress call.

All three were found five kilometres offshore of Tabusintac, near the location of the boat when it hit a sandbar in rough waters and started taking in water. Messier says the RCMP investigation is now wrapping up.